welcome to nhk world "newsline," i'm gene otani in tokyo. here's a look at some of the stories we're following this hour. >> fishermen are upset that contaminated water is seeping from the fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. people in britain and around the world are waiting for the first public appearance of the son of prince william and

his wife kate. japanese negotiators have made their debut at talks to create a free trade zone across asia and the pacific. fishermen are angry at the operator of the fukushima nuclear power plant. tokyo electric power company has admitted that contaminated underground water is seeping into the ocean. about 100 fishermen attended a private briefing session by tepco. officials from the utility reportedly said the spread of the contamination is limited. they also explained their plan to build walls along the coast to prevent tainted water from leaking into the ocean. some fishermen reportedly said tepco officials may have deliberately concealed the information. others said they cannot trust the firm. >> translator: i've lost hope. >> translator: i feel nothing but anger. >> the fishermen are worried about the impact on their plans to resume fishing on a trial basis.

the head of a local fishery's cooperative said the announcement is a serious blow. a tepco official expressed his sympathy. >> translator: the issue of the contaminated water is a real concern for the fishermen. i can't apologize enough. >> he also said that tepco will take a series of measures to try to rectify the situation. officials at japan's nuclear regulator are also angry at tepco. they say the utility was too slow to react to the problem. highly radioactive substances have been detected in the plant's monitoring wells near the pacific ocean since may. tepco reached the conclusion that tainted water is leaking into the ocean after analyzing the fluctuation in water levels in the wells and also comparing them with tide levels. the nuclear regulation authority

says the utility took too long to act. >> translator: it's extremely regrettable that tepco was slow in announcing this problem. >> the regulator plans to study ways to locate and stop the leak. workers at fukushima daiichi struggle every day to keep radioactive water from leaking into the environment. nhk world's susumo explains what they're up against. >> reporter: engineers at fukushima daiichi need to keep nuclear fuel inside three damaged reactors cool to avoid another crisis. they pump water into every unit, every day. it becomes highly contaminated after being exposed to the fuel. adding to that problem, groundwater seeps through cracks in the plant. about 400 tons of it gets contaminated every day. tepco workers have been pumping all the tainted water into storage containers.

they dot observation wells around the coast to check if any water they missed was reaching the ocean. engineers kept saying they didn't have enough data to confirm a leak. but since may, they've detected high levels of radioactivity in the wells. the levels were between eight and 30 times higher than the government set standard, allowing contaminated water to be released into the sea. experts with the nuclear regulation authority warned in june that the leak was highly possible. >> translator: if there's a leak into the ocean, tepco needs to assess the impact it has on marine life, but before that, it needs to monitor very carefully how much contaminated water is leaking. >> reporter: a few weeks later,

tepco managers admitted contaminated groundwater is seeping into the ocean. they say they found the levels of groundwater in the wells coincided with tidal changes, meaning sea water and groundwater are connected. not only tepco workers are monitoring contaminated water near the plant. a scientist who studies ocean radiation levels says that must change. >> translator: the leak of contaminated materials is not surprising, whether tepco admits it or not. all of the experts said it was highly likely. the data provided by tepco doesn't help trace the source of the leak. we have some ideas about how the utility should investigate this

problem. we want them to create a new system that allows all of the experts to contribute. >> reporter: it's become increasingly clear that one company can't handle the accident on its own. experts agree it's time to use all resources available to tackle this problem. nhk world, tokyo. the royal buzz in britain is spreading around the world. the duchess of cambridge has given birth to her first child with prince william. it's a boy. now everyone is waiting to find out his name. buckingham palace officials released the announcement from the hospital in london.

they displayed it in the forecourt of the palace. the infant weighs 3.8 kilograms and was born at 4:24 p.m. palace spokespersons say mother and baby are in good health. the child is now third in line to the throne after his grandfather prince charles and his father. prince william is on vacation from the royal air force and he'll now start a short paternity leave. prime minister david cameron spoke shortly after news of the birth was announced. >> it's wonderful news from st. mary's paddington and i'm sure right across the country and, indeed, right across the commonwealth, people will be celebrating and wishing the royal couple well. >> princess diana's eldest son william married kate in april 2011. people all over the world were charmed by the match of royal with a middle class girl. wellwishers thronged the london streets. some shared messages for the new parents. >> congratulations on the newborn son.

i hope he turns out to be as much of a success as you two have been. >> i wish the baby lots of health and happiness and, yeah, i think the whole country's quite happy about it. yeah, well done to them. >> congratulations. i hope you're all well and we're all really excited.can'wait to . >> the royal couple haven't announced when they'll take their baby boy home. members of the media camped outside the hospital waiting for them to make an appearance. people have filled the streets of the world's largest catholic nation to greet pope francis, the first ever pontiff from latin america is visiting brazil. it's his first overseas trip since he was elected in march. the pope arrived to a catholic festival. people waved and snapped photos. he's visiting for a week, long enough to give mass, drop by hospitals, and kiss a few babies.

>> so excited! i have no words. >> translator: everything was great. there were so many people. it was an awesome experience. >> but some brazilians aren't thrilled about the pope's visit. protestors gathered in rio to speak out about the cost of welcoming him. some lobbed small fire bombs at police. officers used teargas and water canons to disperse the crowds. engineers from japanese firms are showcasing their latest green technology at a fair in beijing. they hope their products will help people in china fight air pollution. a tokyo-based company is introducing an additive for fuel used in trucks and generators. it increases the efficiency of engines. the additive could cut the emission of minute pollutants called pm2.5 by half. offering an easy to use pm2.

monitor. the company says the device could help schools and businesses take precautions. >> translator: japanese technology could be applied in china. it will be very helpful in taking care of our environment here. >> smog blanketed beijing and other chinese cities earlier this year. factories and cars emit pm2.5, which can cause asthma and bronchitis. japan is joining negotiations for the tra transpacific partnership for trade first time. officials are working on what's been discussed so far and explaining japan's position to delegates from the 11 other nations. japanese representatives were allowed to participate in the discussions starting tuesday afternoon after receiving official approval from the u.s.

japanese delegates are now able to view huge amounts of documents on past negotiations. earlier in the day japanese chief negotiator expressed his determination regarding the talks. >> translator: we will do everything we can to realize national interests. we will do our best to revitalize the japanese economy. drawing from our past experiences and intellects. >> the tpp talks are taking place in a resort town in malaysia. they began last week and will continue until thursday. delegates have set up 13 working level meetings for this latest round of talks. japan will likely join six of them. one of the meetings will focus on intellectual property. another will be on government procurement and will go over conditions for entry into public works projects. japanese delegates will also

attend a special session to catch up on current topics. the aim of the tpp agreement is the elimination of tariffs on all products within a decade. rules will govern trade in 21 areas. the total population of the participating countries including japan is around 770 million. their combined gdp accounts for about 40% of global production. delegates from some member countries reacted to japan's entry into the talks. >> i'm very happy. >> a vietnamese delegate expressed understanding over japan's position to keep agricultural products such as rice and wheat off the tariff elimination list. >> each country should have the attitude of cooperation because if you want to protect some sector, you should convince other why you should to do that.

other countries would have, i think should have understanding together and maybe should cooperate to explore the solution. >> back in japan agriculture and consumer groups held a protest in tokyo criticizing the country's former entry into tpp negotiations. about 70 demonstrators handed out leaflets in front of this station. >> translator: the government says it will protect rice, wheat, dairy foods and other vital products from imports, but there's no guarantee in what they say. >> translator: some say it is good for consumers to be able to buy cheaper imported foods, but too much dependence on imports could lead to a threat in food safety and self-sufficiency. >> japanese government officials say the economy is steadily

picking up they used the term recovery for the first time in ten months in its monthly report for july. the report released on tuesday said industrial output is increasing slowly. auto production is steady and manufacturing of electronic parts is rising. officials also upgraded assessments of business investment saying it's leveling off with signs of picking up in some areas. that's due to an increase in construction in office buildings and shops. the report also noted an improvement in consumer sentiment is boosting consumer spending. it's the third straight month the government has upgraded its economic assessment. japan's economic revitalization minister commented on the monthly report. >> translator: we are seeing signs that the economy is headed for a virtuous cycle. increased spending is starting to lead to higher production and wages. it would be best if the economy recovers at the same speed

across the country, but it takes time for all firms and localities to feel their recovery. >> amari said the government will do what it can to fulfill its mission of narrowing its time gap. japanese cosmetic maker kanebo has been receiving complaints from customers for some time about its skin whitening products. now company officials have announced more than 2,000 people have apparently developed skin problems after using these cosmetics. kanebo executives told a news conference on tuesday they've received complaints from 6,808 users. they say 2,250 of them had noticeable problems such as white blotches five centimeters or larger. >> translator: we will continue to take action until every affected customer is completely cured. it's our responsibility to know

the customers' present conditions and come up with measures to deal with their problems as soon as possible. >> he said the company will cover their medical expenses and pay damages appropriately, as soon as the scale of the issue is determined. kanebo has been recalling 54 types of products. it has voluntarily called back 360,000 items so far, but has yet to recover about 90,000 more. the company is urging consumers to stop using the products and turn them in. a lawsuit against japanese automaker toyota over acceleration issues has begun in california. the case involves a 66-year-old woman who died in an accident while driving a toyota camry in august 2009. her family claims her car was the same as the model toyota recalled between 2009 and 2010 because of faulty accelerator parts. the family's attorney says the

accident occurred because the vehicle was not equipped with a brake override system to guard against unexpected acceleration. toyota is stressing that has nothing to do with the cause of the accident. company officials say there was no problem with the safety of the vehicle. the trial is expected to last about two months. there have been about 80 similar cases filed in the u.s. here are the latest market figures.

australia is known for kualas and kangaroos, but there's another animal adm admittedly less cuddly or cute attracting crowds for a long time. nhk reports. >> reporter: the creature i'm riding is not a horse. this is a camel. this is alice springs, australia, and the camel race is about to start. this annual camel cup race has been drawing crowds for more than 40 years. this year some 6,000 people gathered from around the world. there were 30 camels taking part in the race, but camels can be stubborn and don't always do as they are told. one camel suddenly stopped right before the finish line, then began running in circles for reasons nobody knows.

another camel takes off then bucks off the rider. >> some are running backwards i think. >> i like it very much. >> we come every year. we're locals. we're just bringing the boy down this year. he's 2 now, just to show him a camel. >> reporter: the owner of this camel farm is neil waters. his daughter, phoebe, is a camel junkie. neil has about 40 camels on his ranch. over the years neil and phoebe have won a wall full of trophies. when he's not racing, neil leads tourists on camel rides through the outback. they get to enjoy the grand nature of australia from the top of a camel.

>> once you can start working out the camel's personalities, then it's easier to handle the animal because it's like having a schoolyard of school kids. >> phoebe has been preparing for another victory. she's riding chrissy, a 12-year-old camel that won first place three years in a row. >> i'm so excited. i've been waiting all year for this. it's great. it's finally here. >> reporter: at the start line, the jockeys line up their camels in a sitting position. and they're off. phoebe and chrissy made a quick start and managed to stay in first place until the final corner. but then a rival jockey suddenly

overtook them on the inside of the course. they finished in second place. >> we didn't get the first that we were after, but our camels ran really well. so we're happy. the camels are happy. >> reporter: riding camels is not an easy pastime. the animals bite, buck and kick and often refuse to follow orders. but phoebe and her father neil are determined. they say they still have room for another trophy on their wall and that they'll just train harder for next year's race. nhk world, alice springs, australia. thousands of residents are still waiting to go home.

vast tracts of land are still waiting to be restored. and more than half the fishing ports on the pacific coast must be rebuilt. people in northeastern japan still face challenges following the 2011 disaster, but step by step they're moving forward. see their stories every wednesday on "the road ahead" right here on "newsline." heavy rain in east asia, rachel ferguson from the weather team has more. rachel. >> hi there. heavy rain is in store for japan on wednesday. we've got the tail end of a front line moving across central china coming up through the korean peninsula. and then on wednesday it's going to be pushing into japan. hokoriku could be one of the worst hit. this is rain falling on already saturated land. very unwelcome and bringing temperatures down. down towards the south there's a lot of heavy rain here really

focusing its efforts on western portions of indochina around the bangkok area as well. just east of bangkok in fact. more than 350 millimeters of rain recorded in the last 24-hour period. this is some very, very heavy rain. it's been ongoing for the last several days. it's the southwest monsoon. you can see the hong kong areas also picking up significant rainfall in the next several days. all right, let's head onto your temperatures and see what's happening here. while those showers continuing on wednesday in hong kong, in manila with thunderstorms in bangkok and then we have this intense sunshine across chongqing as well as in shanghai. 38 degrees, strong sunshine and 35 for beijing. meanwhile, it's going to be raining in seoul as well as tokyo. and as i mentioned, temperatures coming down here across many portions of japan, 26 degrees in tokyo, but by thursday we'll be returning to that muggy heat once again. on into the americas and severe storms are erupting today right along this cold front with stretches from the northeast down through the midwest and

close up into the central plains. you can see problems with flooding here in portions of missouri, arkansas, as well as in kansas. some large hail, strong gusts too in those storms. and it looks like much of the atlantic seaboard here is going to be very wet as well. rain just clinging and thunderstorms as well from new england right down through into florida. the southwest is expecting some more rain too. we've got that monsoonal flow filtering in and bringing you showers here. some of them could be short-time heavy showers leading to flooding, flash flooding here or conversely dry thunderstorms that can lead to wildfires. and things are really heating up in the great basin as well. 39 for you in phoenix. expecting to see temperatures in the southwest here rise up into the 40s into wednesday in the next couple of days. so watching for that. as we head into europe things are changing. the british isles have been enjoying a spell of heat and just great conditions, in fact.

unfortunately it has taken its toll on some people. however, things are cooling down now. we've got this low sitting out over the atlantic spinning there for the next couple days. it will be bringing thunderstorms in, cooler and wed conditions that will be spreading into france and low countries into germany too. we have a separate storm system out here towards the northeast, afternoon and evening hours you'll be seeing those thunderstorms from the baltic states and heading on in towards north and northwestern russia. having said that the temperatures are going to be coming down, they're still going to be remaining above average across many locations here in central and western europe. 26, 25, 25 in london. your average is 23. still above average here. and then we have plenty of figures here still in the 30s. so very much like summertime still in europe. i'll leave you with your extended forecast.

before we wrap up, we take you to a summer festival in the japanese city of osaka. young women carried portable shrines through the streets. the all-female procession is held ahead of the city's annual tenjin festival. about 80 women aged 15 to 30 took part. they marched over a three-kilometer course with the 200-kilogram shrines. this parade has been held for 30 years. men have traditionally carried the shrines. >> translator: i really wanted to take part in the parade. it's the best experience of my life. >> many women want to shoulder the shrines. the parade has become so popular that participants have to pass an audition. that's "newsline" for this hour, i'm gene otani in tokyo.

from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.

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april is the start of the fiscal year in japan. by now, the young men and women who join their first company will have worked for around three months. i hope they are keeping up with their seniors and eating well. here we are at a company cafeteria. what's for lunch today? curry with rice. a lunch classic in japan. and this person just loves curry. >> it's good. >> it seems this particular curry promotes better health for the employees. but how?